By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Worcester – Anyone on hand wondering just what style of offense that Shrewsbury High School would employ in its Central Mass. Division 2 football title matchup with Algonquin Regional High School at Worcester’s Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium on Nov. 12 did not have long to wait to find out.
The Colonials took to the air from their first possession with strikes from QB Drew Campanale to Brian Moura first with a 29-yard TD connection and minutes later a 41-yard perfectly placed ball into the end zone and suddenly and shockingly to Tomahawk fans, it was an all-too-fast 14-0 opponent advantage. Algonquin would come back with chances to tie or go ahead throughout but never could manage to execute the equalizer in the 21-14 Shrewsbury victory.
The CMass champion Colonials now move on to a state semifinal clash with Western Champion Westfield High (9-1) with a 2 p.m. kickoff scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 at Westfield State University.
“I’m just so proud of our kids. Our seniors have been awesome leaders all year,” said Shrewsbury High head coach John Aloisi. “We faced a lot of adversity in the last couple of years. They stuck to the plan and to see them get this win, I’m so happy for them.
“It took every ounce of effort to stop Algonquin’s offense. They’re really well-coached. They’re big and strong. That’s a really good opponent we played today so we knew we had to put a good plan together and we hung on. It was a total team effort but our defense has led us for most of the year.”
Shrewsbury led 14-0 at halftime but Algonquin returned from the locker room and immediately launched a solid ground game scoring on its first possession on a Max Cerasoli one-yard burst into the end zone. The Colonials answered back in the fourth quarter when A.J. Laramee would corral a 20-yard pass from Campanale and take it in to expand the lead to 21-7.
Algonquin would go down anything but quietly as they went to work on their next play from scrimmage that capped off with an Alec Looby three-yard TD to close the gap to 21-14. With time winding down, the Tomahawks would take possession and have one final crack to even things advancing the ball within the Shrewsbury ten-yard line. It was here that Laramee stepped up with the potential game-saving play, an interception on a Ryan Barry pass that would seal the win and the title for the Colonials.
“They’d been going to slants all game,” explained Laramee, who had the distinction of scoring the winning touchdown on offense and the game-saver interception on defense. “I was there all game and I just saw Barry’s (Algonquin QB Ryan Barry) eyes go to his receiver coming across the middle and I just jumped the route.
“It really took a week of preparation. Consistency, motivation, determination and focus and we executed. We were in film after practice, on the field working with blood, sweat, tears and everything and it showed today.”
With playoff hopes dashed, Algonquin head coach Justin McKay reflected and expressed the team’s feelings post-game.
“We’re disappointed, obviously, because we wanted to come out on top. But the disappointment isn’t in my kids and what our kids did. It’s in the end result. Our kids gave everything they could today. They worked very hard and we’re very proud of them in the community.
“Our team has worked very hard this year and done a lot of really good things to get to this point. They’ve put in a lot of time and effort to get here and that’s why it’s so heartbreaking because you get so close and you have a chance to succeed but things just don’t go our way. Regardless, I’m very proud of our kids.”
Shrewsbury now has a week of practice, film study and game-planning before taking on a tough Westfield High team on Saturday. But immediately upon the final result, it was players, coaches and team supporters reflecting on a well-earned victory to earn the District title.
“Our seniors really pulled it out for us at the end,” said Campanale. “Our defense came out in the second half and really stopped them. It felt amazing to get the ‘W’ in the end.”
Photos/Jeff Slovin
